hello my name is jason i was in an automobile accident recently and am in extreme pain and need some professional advice please id be highly appreciative. im 30 years old and am a licensed electrician and garage door technician and its impossible for me to do this type of work with the symtoms and pain i am having. here is the results of my cervical spine mri... ill only post the parts that were not normal . here we go......

there is congenital narrowing of the spinal canal on the basis of short pedicles.
There is straightening of the cervical spine suggesting underlying muscle spasm.
There is bilateral facet hypertophy at the c2 c3 level..
There is moderate disc buldging at c3 c4 there is moderate right neural foraminal stenosis.
There is moderate disc buldging at c4 c5, there is moderate bilateral facet hypertrophy at this level. there is a approximation of the dorsal spinal cord. there is moderate left and right neural foraminal stenosis.
There is a broad based posterior disc herniation at c5 c6 as seen on images 7 and 8. there is moderate bilateral facet hypertrophy at this level. there is ventral and dorsal impingment upon the thecal sac. there is approximation of the dorsal spinal cord. there is severe left neural foraminal stenosis. there is moderate right neural foraminal stenosis.
There is moderate disc buldging at c6 c7 there is mild bilateral facet hypertrophy. there is moderate bilateral neural foraminal stenosis. right greater than left.

Someone please help me im having horrible headaches and my shoulders arms and right leg is burning one minite and tingling and numb the next. im also having muscle twitches that are aggravating as well and sometimes even when im urinating ill feel like im done and when i get up ill notice that more urine has come out on its own at somepoint...i have no clue about any of this stuff....
im lost at this point and feel so helpless i have two daughters 6 and 7 whom this is affecting very much...
here is the impression from my lower lumbar mri.... im trying to keep this as short as possible, sorry bout the long post...

thanks alot ill be checking this daily to see what you guys think.. its hurting me to tie my shoes pick up my legs at all my arms and legs feel so heavy and weak. i just dunno what to do , it is early on since the accident and the doctor gave me hydrocodone 10 that does absolutly nothing for me at all. im 6 ft 277 lbs. this has affected my life sooooooo much i just dont know what the best thing to do is,, i.e injections,, surgery, medicine,, chiropractic, physical therapy , etc. etc. thanks again you guys, i am loving this board already its nice to see that random people offer there professional advice to lost people like myself.. have a wonderful week.................................... Jason

Hello Jason!. Welcome here I'm so sorry to hear you've been in a car accident and suffer so much First of all I would like to give you some important advice.
1) Do not go to any chiropractor. Do not do the mistake I've done. They do manipulation etc..and can cause severe damage to your body. Don't believe them, they cannot cure your neck. The neck area is so delicate. It has NERVE intersection(so I've learnt later)and chiropractor can cause you nerve damage for life. more than you have now from the accident.

2) How did this accident happen? WHat car did you drive? where you in the back seat? Was it a whiplash?make sure you sue(if that's possible)the driver who did that to you. Cause what you have is serious. and neck pain stays for life.

Do you feel pain in the neck or it's numb?. Why I'm asking you is that I also been in a car accident and had a severe whiplash. that's been 5 years ago and the neck pain is still there and getting worse. THat's why I remind you to sue that guy who did that to you cause neck pain is a serious problem for life.

3) You need to go to orthopedic surgeon and see what he/she thinks.

I can only tell you that I only feel pain in the neck and head but I don't like you have tingling etc. When you feel tingling it's time to do some serious consultation, sometimes with even 3 orthopedic surgeons.

4) It doesn't matter if it's early now to tell what the future holds for neck or back pain. Sometimes it can show up years later.

O.K, well I hope I helped you some. I cannot give you advice on any surgery cause I've never done one. I hope somebody could give you advice about surgery.

5) Remember, even when they do surgery, it doesn't mean the pain will go away.

6) Tell your doctor Hydrocodone doesn't work. I'm not sure about hydrocodone. never tried it. WHat about percocet? it's oxycodone plus tyneol. It should give you some relief from pain.
Oh god, what else can I tell you, topamax perhaps? that's for head pain and perhaps will help neck pain. Clonazepam etc. I hope your doctor takes you seriously. Sometimes they wait to see if the patient will get better. My experience shows that I didn't get better. It's a serious battle day in day out. 5 years ago just I've met a man walking with a cane and asked him how he was injured. I told him I've been in a car accident and had a whiplash. he said I'm lucky that I don't need to walk with a cane. He had pain in the neck and in his back and that's for life and that's cause he also been in a car accident back in 1985. He is on disability and the only thing he could do is play music in the street.

O.K, Jason, let us know how you're doing. and I hope you will recover better than I do.
If you cannot do your job, you should consider another job you can do. I really don't want to see you going on disability. But that's something else to think about since you have kids and you have to support them.

Last edited by nochange; 11-17-2010 at 05:44 AM.

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Although none of us can give you proffesional advice such as a doctor we can share our experiances & what we may have learned a long the way.

Sounds like you have a lot going on in there.
I assume your going to be visiting a surgeon if you have not already done so.
You really need a surgeon's opinion.

I'm no expert but will give it a try.
Sounds like your spinal canal could have been a little more at risk to begin with with the congenital narrowing, congenital means born with.

Your C4-5 & 5-6 appear to be the most severe of the actual injuries with the impingement on the thecal sac & I'm assuming your biggest threat to your cord. I could be wrong but the others seem to be bulged & not herniated. Those are the areas I would be questioning. Of course you want to ask any surgeon you see what problems could the other levels be causing you.
Also when one level is severe it could be creating added pressure on another level. Which occured in my situation.

As far as the Facet Hypertrophy, there are facet joints & these allow us movement such as bending, twisting, ect.. There is extra bone which is normal to an extent but to much can cause problems especially with injuries thrown in. Sorry not the best at explaining.

Its understandable why your experiancing so much pain & headaches. I had hernation at C5-6 with the levels above effected by DDD & cord involvment. I developed the worst headaches you could ever imagine with in weeks or my surgery.

Who are you being seen by now?
Do not let a Chiro treat these injuries with out consulting a surgeon. You can get into a good PM & try the ESIs & facet joint blocks but they they are like medications & only a temp. bandaide. Some have great success others nothing.
The medication your on is not going to touch the pain your experiancing from your injuries.
You may have tried both but moist heat & ice can help at times. If heat does give you any relief you may want to try something like the thermacare patch. A gentle massage may bring you temp. relief also. Until you get into a good doctor you can ask about trying motrin or another anti-inflammatory if you have not already done so. Ice seems to help me the most when I'm really hurting. I tend to rotate the ice with moist heat. Moist heat to help relax the muscles & ice to help reduce inflammation.

Use preventative measures by not lifting & watching how much you bend. Use the knees if need be & not the back. Do not bend the neck in any position for any length of time if you can avoid it. Hard with your job I know.

You can ask about trying a soft cervical collar which you can purchase at your local drug stores or med supplies or perhaps some sort of back brace for the lumbar.
Also make sure you use a good pillow.

Really you need to get an opinioin from a good surgeon & in the mean time get into a good pain management doctor. After all you have 2 different levels & even if they attempt surgery on one you may have to wait for the other & in the mean time you may require good care to get some quality back in your life. Such a shame with 2 young daughters.

I have the ESIs every so often & in some areas I do get relief. There is not telling how long it will last. For example I had one in early Oct & my pain is slowly increasing but my hands still feel a lot better then before the injections.

You can also do a search for dermatome charts & this can help you understand how the spine is impacting your body, such as the shoulders, fingers, legs, etc..Such as the C5-6 can cause pain in the shoulder area, what part's of the body L5 & S1 effects. Kind of helps you get a better understanding of where your pain is coming from. For example I knew when I researched the charts my C7 was involved some how but nothing appeared on the MRI.
Although during surgery my surgeon found the C7 was indeed involved in my injury & causing some of my pain & symptoms.

I hope this has helps some. I wish I was better at explaining & hopefully others will chime in.
As I mentioned get into the right doctors & if you can let us know how it goes.
Good luck & god bless, Sammy

Last edited by sammyo1; 11-17-2010 at 07:25 AM.

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wow! thank you guys so much for your replies, thats so awesome that people are there to read what i have to say and help me...im so thankful and god bless the both of you for taking time out your day and responding to me...
As far as the accident goes, i was in my truck with my wife driving and i was in the passenger side, we got t boned on my side which jarrred me all around pretty bad and there after is when all the syptoms became coming.
as far as suing the woman who did this to me whom i might ad was crossing three lanes of traffic looking the other direction talking on her phone before she struck me, she had allstate insurance, full coverage. as far as her limits go i havent found out yet. the doc said these injuries are permanent , i can do things like p.t surgery and meds to help them but like you said its just a bandaid... so i beleive that whatever her limits are i should be entittled to all of them. i clearly cant be an electrician anymore. it hurts me to pick up my daughters now, my neck is so stiff its just crazy i find myself turning my whole body to look to the left without even realizing im doing it ! weird how the body does that when it knows an area is injured or not working properly. someone told me if she had 10 000 dollar limit id be screwed but another told me that thats not likely that most allstate full coverage plans are either 50000 100000--- 100000 300000--- or 300000 500000........ which i haope its the more the better this is a life changing event for me... the pain alone has changed everything about me and my life,,, my mood, my outlook, my goals... i dont have much education besides electrician school and high school i been an electrician for 12 years now, so what do i do now?
Someone else told me even if she has a low limit like 50,000 and i have permanent spinal injuries i can still sue her herself as well i dont know much about my options legally here some advice on that would be good as well. they already paid me 4000 for my property damage im happy with that but thats so minor compared to what im going through physically , emotionally and mentally. i feel so lost . like i was so far and now i feel like im back at the starting line again... i cant beleive this has happened to me . i was this strong strapping hard working loving father and now i feel like a crippled sad lost dog. my daughters both can see it all over me . people say that my condition will only get worse with age as well. i wish i had the answers to all of this in my head, even as i sit here and type its hard for me to keep my head looking straight without giving it breaks looking straight down,,well my head hurts tremendously so im going to lay down. thanks again you guys for having open minds and ears. i hope that i dont get screwed financially from allstate and the girl who did this to me ..... so senseless that talking on a phone and not paying attention has changed my life now forever,... take care guys

Jason,
Well that is just so sad. I don't believe in cell phones & driving. I hope you wife is ok.

I feel the same & I think many others do also. No matter how we got to this point in our lives it can be hard to accept. We believe I am like this do to lifting over the years with my jobs & bad genetics. As a few of my sisters have DDD & one besides me had cervical fusion.

First things first & that is treating the pain & condition. I don't know much about accidents & insurance but it sounds like you need help pretty bad.

Who is treating your injuries now? You need to get into a good pain magagment doctor. The key word is good ASAP. You also need to get some surgical opinions, but in the mean time you need better pain control.

There are those who risk more damage by waiting so do what has to be done to get into these doctors. I can tell you right now that the spine is complicated & you want the best medical care you can find.

Your not going to have your old life back but you should not have to suffer so much.
It can take time to find what will work for each person so the sooner the better.
Have you explained to your doctor how much this pain has affected your qaulity of life? Get some decent control & then get the help you need.

Good luck & let us know how it goes.
Once again I'm so sorry you had to go through this. God bless, Sammy

I hope you get what you desire from this company as your life has been changed & not for the better.

Have you consulted a neurosurgeon. I read your report and while you have past chronic problems with your back, you do have some injuries that need to be address by a neurosurgeon and taking pain medication is not going to solve your problem. In my opinion you definately need surgery to relieve the pressure off your spinal cord. You symptoms of incontinence (not knowing that you are peeing) is one of the signs that you have cord involment and the sooner the compression is released off the spinal cord the greater chances of you regaining your nerve function.
I just had cervical spine surgery this past June because of numbness, tingling and weakness in my arms and legs. I was told by my neurosurgeon that my recovery was going to be at least 1 to 1 and half years. Part of the treatment after surgery was doing physical therapy for which I am still doing.
The surgery is really not that bad, although I only had decompression on c5-6 where you will most likely need at least two levels of decompression and possible a fusion to obtain neck stability. I also think that you may be looking at a lumbar spine surgery to also relieve the pressure from L5-S1 spinal cord encroachment.
You really need to locate a neurosurgeon who is proficient in spine surgery and he/she may want to do the cervical spine and lumbar spine at different times.

You have a major trauma center right there in Orlando, so I am sure that they must have a neurosurgeon on staff who is proficient with spine surgeries.
Do you have a primary care physcian? If so, call him/her and request a referral to a neurosurgeon and request that he/she interceed on your behalf to get an urgent appointment. You need to impress upon your primary care that your MRI report states that you have sustained cord compression at both the cervical and lumbar regions and that you are experiencing cord compression symptoms at this time. Make sure that you forward your MRI films and report onto this neurosurgeon. Hand deliver them to the office if you have too.
You need to get the medical care first to take care of your immediate injuries and once you have established a treatment plan and you are able to funtion a bit better, than start the next step in receiving the compensation for your injuries. I would suggest not accepting any personal injury money from the insurance company until you and someone with legal knowledge has carefully reviewed the documents to insure that by accepting money you are not making a settlement on your claim.
Please let me know how you are doing.

garagenpower, I don't want to make you sad or upset but I once heard that when an accident happens while driving on truck severe whiplash can happen also. Trucks are not good for whiplash, no protection for neck once a whiplash happens. Just so you know.

I don't want to scare you off but accident can happen again. My ex friend once told me you won't get it again. oh please. So you take this knowledge. and good luck with the law suit and get better as much as that's possible.

so i went back to the pain institue yesterday and explained to them that the meds were absolutly not working and he gave me percoset 5 /325 and told me to take 2 at a time,,, it didnt touch the pain and only made my stomach hurt.... i also exlpained to him my headaches in the back of my head were getting worse and worse andmy left index finger stays numb all the time, and now i have caught myself accidentally urinating a little bit on my self without even knowing its happened... so when i told him about the meds he told me not even to ask for anything stronger bc this is the best he was ggoing to do for me and referred me to a neuro surgeon.... my lawyer was happy about that but it seems hes just worried about how valuable my case gets,, which is typical.... i am worried about my health,, i feel like cutting my arms and leg off the pain is so bad that im scared of what might happen to me if i dont get some type of releif soon.. im even tempted to try and fine the pain meds from a drug dealer thats how bad i hurt and how desperate i am.. i just cant beleive this is what my life has become..... thanks sammy for talking with me ,, its nice to see someone out there cares to listen and knows what im going through... have a good day , im off to physical therapy....ta ta

None of that medication is going to reduce your pain. You are experiecing nerve pain and shame on the doctor at the pain clinic because he should know better. The only thing good that the doctor did for you was suggest that you obtain an opinion from a neurosurgeon.
Have you called the neurosurgeon office? Are they able to get you an urgent appointment? Asked to speak with the nurse or if there is a physican assistant or nurse practioner, see if they would be willing to talk with you so that you could explain your symptoms. You should also contact your primary care physican and have him/her call this neurosurgeons office and speak directly to the neurosurgeon in consult. This should hopefully get your foot in the door to being seen sooner vs later.
Your other option is to go to the emergency room, tell them of your extreme headaces and pain and that you have now developed incontinence and that you want them to contact the neurosurgeon on call.
Do not give up hope and no buying street drugs, this will only physically and mentally hurt you and you certainly do not want your children to see you go down that road.
If your attorney is at all good, than he/she should already have a relationship with a good neurosurgeon and he/she should be able to call the office and get you seen within a few days. I am sure this attorney is going to collect a hefty payout when the case is settled, so make them work for their money--and get you the proper medical care.
If you feel that you are getting frustrated, just start writing on this board, we are here to hear you vent.
Let me know how you are doing.

so i went back to the pain institue yesterday and explained to them that the meds were absolutly not working and he gave me percoset 5 /325 and told me to take 2 at a time,,, it didnt touch the pain and only made my stomach hurt.... i also exlpained to him my headaches in the back of my head were getting worse and worsei just cant beleive this is what my life has become.....
jason

Hello again Jason. I'm surprised percoet 5/325 caused you stomach pain. Oxycodone an tyneol don't cause stomach pain as far as I know. I suspect there is something going on inside your stomach other than the pain in the neck. Don't get me wrong, I'm just trying to help here. They should check your stomach. That's one thing.

Second thing, I can understand your doctor not giving you more than percocet 5/325 to take it 2 at a time - He is AFRAID to start you on narcotics. Doctors don't really want us to be on narcotic for life. But that's how it starts we all started on percocet/vicdine and then up the ladder to oxycontin etc;;;

THe headaches in the back of your head caused by the whiplash. When a whiplash happens, please don't get upset or sad when you hear that, well, when a whiplash happens tendons, ligaments and muscles get damaged sometimes for life. (It's called soft tissue damage)But those tendons and ligamets and muscles cause you this headaches cause they hold your head. That's what I was told. I also got CRAZY after the accident. I suffered and suffer tremendously and without pain meds I would lose my mind just like you so I know what you are going trough. All it took was one second to change your life for ever.

PLease understand that doctors have to be sure they don't rx you narcotics so quickly since the accident happened not long ago.

So try your best to take it easy. You're going now to your neurosurgeon and he's going to tell you what to do.

Sounds like you had a severe whiplash and might need a surgery. I can't tell you, I'm not a doctor. United States has a good medical system and I believe doctors will be able to give you back some of your quality of life. It's not like you live in a third world country. I just want to cheer you up somehow.
You're talking now with somebody who had been in a car accident 5 years ago and still suffer. I now also believe I have TMJ. When you go to court you wil need to explain them. You might have sleepin problems in the future. It's really hard to sleep with neck pain

garenpower, hi my name is Lyn. I have been reading your posts also. Please listen to the ladies that are giving you advice. Do not start looking for street drugs. Give the neurosurgeon a chance to see you please. Street drugs are definitely not the answer as they will "NOT" help with your pain!!! I too live with Chronic Pain and have for 11 years. That is all I am going to say for now. I just thought that I would chime in and tell you also that I am here for you and will talk with you and listen to anything you have to say.
I know it doesn't help right now, but please be strong for your wife and your 2 girls. They are going to need you and this path is going to be very difficult, believe me I know. I will tell you my story another time. Right now what YOU are going through is important, not me!!!

Well that PM is crazy. After looking at your MRI results he should be trying something. Did he offer or try any nerve blocks, injections etc...? Why would he even prescribe 5-325s of Percocet instead of one 10-325, the less Tylenol the better off you are. For that matter I was taking 2 10-325s after my shoulder surgery for a while. It was short term & now I'm on the 5-325s because my insurance wont cover the 10s. I'm asking for a change my next appointment as I don't trust all the Tyle. after all these years.

Shisslak, I agree to a point. There definantly has to be an evaluation by a surgeon but in the mean time noone should be left to suffer. As I have said 100 times we don't let animals suffer. He has proof of his injuries & better attempts should be made. There are different meds that can be tried. I have nerve pain & spent 3 days in the hospital with it out of control. I felt the same, wanted to chop my arm off it was so bad. Took IV meds to bring it under control & my PM to work on keeping me out of the hospital. Before my CP I was anti drugs big time, but this is different. Its a matter of living with some quality in your life. You & your family are worth it.

This PM needs to be replaced.
Perhaps I'm wrong but I don't think so, with all the injuries there may be need for a good PM.
Maybe the surgeon can suggest someone or another doctor. No way will 2 5-325s of percocet touch this type of pain. First of all nerve pain can set the muscles off big time. There is often a pain med, muscle relaxer & if one can tolerate an anti inflammatory. Sounds like a lot but there's a lot going on in there. There are options & this PM is not trying very hard. There are meds used for nerve pain. Some get a lot of relief from those type of meds.

If I had my way I'd flush every med down the toilet but that is not going to happen & I have a family that needs me. So I fight for the best relief I can get.
No street drugs ever of not one doctor will touch you.
Get your PCP or who ever involved & get into a PM that will give you better care. Get an evaluation from this surgeon & let him know your having bladder problems, This can be deemed urgent.

The most important thing is finding the best doctors, surgeons & PMs you can find. You'll want the best trust me.

Do not let this PM cause you to loose hope. With that MRI you should be able to get decent care. Right now the getting into a surgeon asap is the most important thing a long with finding a good PM.

Another doctor can get you in sooner. So use whoever you have to & tell them just how bad your suffering.

I had a list of names from doctors & my SIL called half & I called the other half. I came right out & asked the receptionist if the doctor was compassionate. I also went on line & looked at their web sites for those who had them. They usually list the treaments offered, including med therapy.

Every ER is different but worse comes to worse go for it as some point you have to explore all options if your not getting the help you need.

My heart goes out to you & I pray you find good care. Remember just as Angel said there are people here who understand & care.
Sammy

MY MRI report
cervical spine
there is congenital narrowing of the spinal canal on the basis of short pedicles.
There is straightening of the cervical spine [lorodosis] suggesting underlying muscle spasm.
thorasic spine
there is mild begin antrior wedging at the T7-8
There is moderate disc buldging at T4-5 .
T7-8 T8-9 there is disk desiccation. There is invertabral disk space narrowing at the
T7-8
There is mild disc buldging at T7-8 , elevation of the postiror logitudal ligament and inpingment on the thecal sac. There is approximation of the ventral spinal cord. there is mild bilateral neural foraminal stenosis.
mderate disk buldging at the T10-11 and modeerate left neural foraminal stenosis.
lumbar spine
there is disk buldging at the S1-l%, L5-4, L4-3
and marked impingemnt on the bilateral lateral recesses.

I can empathise with you I have had a difficult time holding up my torso or lifting objects the pain is just like you sied its been a wile and it still hurts to the touch or to move.
Ive got some shots and take pain medication's both help alot with the pain and I dont know what I would do with out them. I would weigh you options with the advice of medical profesional'S. And get all the treatment you can and stay on top of your condition try not to hurt your self becuse it sounds like if you injure your self like in a car or on a dirt bike you could get REALY HURT.